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Baked Stuffed Pork Chops with Wild Rice

A dish with wild rice stuffed pork chops lay in a bed of mushrooms with a fork and knife sitting on the dish. A cast iron skill sits above the dish with a gray napkin next to it.
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5 from 3 reviews

This recipe transforms boring, bland pork into juicy pork chops stuffed with a wild rice blend and is beautifully displayed on a bed of sautéed mushrooms and onions. The flavors are rustic but exquisite. The perfect weeknight dish is a one-pan meal that is in and out of that pan in about 35 minutes. It will definitely be a keeper for your weeknight dinner ideas.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 large Thick Boneless Pork Loin Chops
  • 2 cups Cooked Wild Rice Blend (1/2 wild rice and 1/2 brown long grain rice)
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste, divided
  • 1 tablespoon each of Fresh Rosemary, Thyme, and Oregano, divided
  • 2 1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil, divided
  • 16 ounces Sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms
  • 1 large Sweet Onion, chopped
  • 6 large Garlic Cloves, minced
  • 3/4 Dry White Wine (I prefer Chardonnay)
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
  • Chopped Parsley, for garnish

Instructions

  • Place 4 thick boneless pork loin chops on a flat surface. Using a sharp utility knife, cut a slit or a pouch horizontally in each chop. Be careful not to cut through the other threes sides. Open the pouch and stuffed each with 1/2 cup of the cooked wild rice blend.
  • Tie each stuffed pork chop crosswise with 3 long strands of kitchen twine.
  • Brush each side of the pork chop loins with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Combine 1 tablespoon each of fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of the fresh herbs on each side of the stuffed pork chops and set them aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • Heat a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Swirl until it coats the bottom of the skillet and heat until shimmering.
  • Add 1 pound of sliced mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add 1 large chopped sweet onion and reduce the heat to medium.
  • Season the mushrooms and onion with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 7-8 minutes until the onion is tender and translucent. Stirring frequently.
  • Add 6 minced garlic cloves and cook for 30-60 seconds being careful not to burn the garlic.
  • Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh herbs and stir.
  • Pour 3/4 cup of dry white wine over the mushrooms. Scrape the bottom of the skillet to loosen all the brown bits. Bring to a medium boil then reduce the heat to low and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the liquid has almost evaporated.
  • Add 1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Stir until combined. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet to a bowl and set aside.
  • Turn the heat to medium-high again and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet and heat until hot.
  • Carefully add the wild rice stuffed pork chops to the skillet. Sear for 2 minutes without moving the chops. The bottoms of the chops should be nicely brown and crisp. Carefully turn with tongs and cook for another 2 minutes.
  • Place the skillet in the preheated oven and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the internal temperature of the pork chops is 140°F. Use a digital instant-read thermometer to register the thickest part of the pork chop. Remove the skillet from the oven.
  • Spoon the mushrooms into the skillet around the mushrooms. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve pork chops with the mushrooms.
  • ENJOY!

Notes

  • Choose chops that are about 1 1/2 to two inches thick to give a nice meat-to-stuffing ratio. Boneless is easier to stuff and tie but you can use bone-in if you prefer.
  • An unoaked chardonnay works well with this recipe. Stay away from sweet or what is labeled "table" wine. You don't have to buy the most expensive white wine, but I wouldn't choose a bottle under seven or eight dollars.
  • You can combine 1/2 cup wild rice and 1/2 cup long-grain brown rice instead.  Add two cups vegetable stock and 1 teaspoon of salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
    Add the rice, stir, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Let cook for about 60 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
  • Cut 12 pieces of kitchen twine each about 12 inches long. Open the pocket wide and spoon in about 1/2 cup of the cooked wild rice blend. Tie and knot three pieces of the twine around the width of each pork loin chop.
  • Cover and set the pork chops aside while the mushrooms are cooking. This helps to take the chill off the pork which in turn produces juicier and more evenly cooked meat.
  • If you don't have an oven-proof skillet, you can pan-sear these in a regular skillet and transfer them to a preheated baking dish.
  • Deglazing simply means loosening all the brown bits in the bottom of the skillet to release "flavor bombs" to the dish. Use a spatula to scrape all the "fond" from the pan. Don't skip this step. It enhances the overall flavor.
  • I used boneless but the bone can actually add more moisture and flavor when cooking. Simply cut the pocket the same as above only cut through until you hit the bone. You may need to cook the chop a little longer with the bone.
  • The length of cooking time depends on your oven and the thickness of your chops. The best test is to always use an instant-read thermometer. For this recipe, I pulled it out when the internal temperature reached 140°F. The temperature of the meat will continue to rise about 5°. You’re looking for a finished temperature of 145° F.
  • There is still a misconception that pork should never be pink inside. That’s not accurate. Pork can turn quickly from a juicy, tender piece of meat to dry and tough. Therefore you never want to overcook it. Check out this link "Is Pink Pork Safe to Eat?" from Taste of Home.
  • A boneless, skinless chicken breast is a great alternative to this dish. Chicken needs to come out of the oven at an internal temperature of 160°F. Let is sit and rest for five minutes before serving.
  • How to freeze or refrigerate the stuffed pork chops. Stuff and tie the uncooked chops as directed, wrap them in freezer paper. They are good up to a month or up to three days in the fridge.
  • When ready to serve, remove them from the freezer and place in the refrigerator overnight. Take them out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking and pan-sear and oven-bake as directed in the recipe. When ready to serve, remove them from the freezer and place in the refrigerator overnight. Take them out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking and pan-sear and oven-bake as directed in the recipe.
  • How to freeze or refrigerate the sauté mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms as directed in the recipe, if freezing, drain any additional liquid, and cool. Place the mushrooms in a freezer bag, note that the mushrooms will freeze much longer than the stuffed pork chops, up to ten months. They will last in the refrigerator for up to three days. When ready to serve with the pork chops, remove from the freezer and place in the fridge overnight. Add the mushrooms to the chops when they go into the oven. This way they will reheat in time to serve with the meal.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://lingeralittle.com/rice-stuffed-pork-chops-mushrooms/